Activities section is small — 10 entries, 150 characters each — but it carries huge weight. Admissions officers at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and the rest of the top-20 spend extra time here because it shows who you really are outside the classroom.
Here’s the exact system that consistently works:
Simple, High-Impact Formula
[Strong action verb] + [your leadership role] + [what you built or improved] + [measurable result with a number]
What Makes an Entry Stand Out
Includes at least one specific number
Numbers are the fastest way to prove impact. Without them, any claim feels vague. Good numbers to use:
- People impacted (taught 120 students, tutored 45 peers, reached 11,000 users)
- Growth (increased membership 400 %, raised $5,200, grew circulation from 80 to 600)
- Scale (organized 6 events, published 12 articles, trained 25 younger team members)
- Reach (implemented in 18 schools, distributed to 7 villages, 8,000 app downloads) Even small numbers are better than none: “mentored 4 underclassmen for 2 years” beats “mentored younger students.”
Highlights leadership or initiative rather than simple participation
Top universities have thousands of qualified applicants who “joined” clubs. They accept the ones who started, revived, or dramatically improved something. Role titles that instantly communicate leadership: Founder, President, Captain, Editor-in-Chief, Lead Developer, Team Captain, Head Organizer, Concertmaster, Research Lead, Project Coordinator. Even in a big organization, show your specific leadership slice (“Led 18-violin section” or “Managed social media, grew followers 350 %”).
Starts with a powerful verb in past tense
Admissions officers scan hundreds of applications.
The first 2–3 words decide whether they slow down and read carefully.
Strong: Founded, Led, Developed, Organized, Designed, Trained, Published, Raised, Launched, Coordinated, Mentored, Programmed, Performed, Directed
These verbs instantly signal initiative and ownership.
Shows clear change you personally created
- The hidden question every reader asks: “What was different because this student existed?” Best patterns:
- “Grew X from A to B”
- “Reduced X by Y%” or “cut waiting time 60 %”
- “Started from scratch and achieved X”
- “Designed and launched X that now serves Y people” This turns a normal activity into evidence of agency.
Places your most impressive achievements in positions 1 and 2
Readers are human — they pay the most attention to the top of the list. Position 1 should be the single activity that best represents who you are. Position 2 should be the second-best. Everything else supports the picture painted by the first two.
Final thoughts
When all seven elements are present, a single 150-character line can do more for your application than an entire supplemental essay. Follow this checklist and your Activities section will do exactly what it has done for thousands of Stanford and Harvard admits: turn you from “qualified applicant” into “future campus leader they can’t afford to lose.”
You’ve already done the hard work.
Now describe it the way the accepted students do.
